Chicago's Finest
by MarryTheNight25
Summary: Katie Cooper is trying to go about her life and focus on her career, but one night changes everything and she finds herself conflicted over the hero that saved her. I own nothing other then OCs Katie Cooper and Merra Mitchum...Featuring CM Punk and Colt Cabana as heroic firemen, inspired by Chicago Fire.
1. Chapter 1

**New story! :D My life has been crazy busy and I haven't had a spare minute to write anything thanks to working full time, buying a house and working on my masters degree, but I really missed publishing fan fic, so I dug up a story I started and figured why not publish it and get some opinions? I WILL finish _The Secret I Tried To Tell You_ in time, but I've had some writer's block and lack of time, so it is taking longer then I want to update it...Until then I hope somebody reads this and enjoys it...I wanted to branch outside the wrestling world and after watching Chicago Fire I got this idea, so I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Katie walked into the living room of her small apartment feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. Despite working for the last eight hours, she still had a solid six in front of her before she could finally crawl back into bed and do it all over again tomorrow. _Life of a teacher_ , she thought as she dropped her bag on the couch, happy to be greeted by her only trusting companion Pete. The golden retriever stood at her feet wagging his tail as she bent down to pet him.

"How's my buddy? Mommy missed you today." After accepting a few licks to the face, Katie kissed the top of his head before heading into the kitchen and grabbing leftover lomaine noodles from the fridge not even bothering to reheat it. She finished them off and took a deep breath before turning on the TV and sitting down in front of her laptop; cracking her nuckles and her neck, she settled in for a long night of work.

Somewhere between the late night news and Jay Leno, Katie had drifted off into a heavy, much needed sleep. Any other night Katie would've slept through the night only to groan when her 5AM alarm went off, but tonight was not like any other night.

Katie was startled awake to the sound of Pete barking knowing something was wrong. As she stood up, she noticed the smoke pouring in from under the door, the faint sound of the fire alarm beeping. Running for the door she opened it, but couldn't see anything as the smoke was much thicker in the hallway. Trying not to panic, Katie took off her sweater using it to cover her mouth from inhaling the dark, black fog before her, but as she began to cough she knew the clock was ticking and time was against her.

Katie got as low to the ground as she could, Pete running ahead of her, and blindly started down the stairs. The smoke was getting thicker, Katie's cough getting worse as she inhaled more smoke. Panic began to take over as the feelings of doubt set in with the low oxygen flow to her brain; it was then she heard her sole chance of survival call out.

"Firefighter, call out..." Katie tried to yell, but all she could do was cough as more of the smoke invaded her lungs; sinking the rest of the way to the ground she closed her eyes thinking this was the end, but just then she heard the faint sound of Pete barking as the fireman yelled out again.

* * *

Katie woke up in the hospital blinking a few times as she tried to adjust to the harsh lighting. She was confused at first wondering if she'd died in that stairwell, but the sound of monitors beeping and her mother's face coming into view before she threw herself on top of her reassured her that was not the case.

"Oh thank God you're alright! The doctors weren't sure if you were going to make it, but the fireman pulled you out just in time." Katie reluctantly hugged her mother back; she wasn't big into mushy moments, but a near death experience called for one.

"What happened?" Her mother looked at her appearing to be beside herself and fearing the worst.

"You don't remember the fire?"

"Of course I remember mom, granted parts are blurry, but I know what happened; what I want to know is how it happened."

"The police and fire department are investigating now, it's unclear." Katie wasn't surprised to hear this, but her curiosity had gotten the better of her. She remembered her last moments of conciousness faintly hearing Pete bark before hearing the fireman call out and tears came to her eyes. Katie expected the worst; her only companion, the one that waited patiently for her to return home wouldn't be there anymore. "Sweetie what's wrong? I know you're upset you've lost everything, but they're just things."

"I don't care about the stuff, but I need to know about Pete; he saved me. His barking got the firemans attention, he never left my side."

"Honey there's no reason to be upset. Pete is safe; he's actually staying at the fire house. It appears that after Fire fighter Brooks found you he carried you out and made sure Pete was safe too. I don't know what it is with that dog, but everyone takes to him."

* * *

Three days after the mysterious fire on 54th street, Katie was released from the hospital though she didn't feel any better. With her living situation up in the air, she was being forced to move back home, a move she desperately didn't want to make. She didn't have much choice though, it was move home or be homeless. Letting out a sigh, she got off the D train and started heading towards Wicker Park to visit an old friend.

It took less then two seconds after Katie rang the doorbell for Merra to answer and immediately embrace her dear friend in a hug. Katie, not one for hugging, let it slide once again; between the fire, Merra's grandmother passing and the loss of her bakery, Merra needed some extra love. Merra pulled back politely shoving her friend in the shoulder.

"Where the hell have you been? I haven't seen or heard from you since the funeral, which was almost two months ago. That's far too long for me not to talk to you!" Katie felt guilty, but she hadn't been ignoring her friend on purpose, just a case of life getting in the way.

"I'm sorry Mer, I really am, but work has been crazy. There's no need to miss me too much though because with this fire mess, I've been granted a leave from work. Granted I figured I'd need it to move to another place, but I have next to nothing left and my other place is my mother's house." Merra's face dropped; she knew Katie loved her mom, but no adult wanted to move back home, especially not with Merra's mom. She was a lovely woman, but exceptionally clingy and even though Katie was pushing 30, moving back home meant her mom would constantly be calling her wanting to know where she was and when she'd be home.

"Oh Christ that does not seem like a good situation." Katie shrugged her shoulders as she walked through the doorway trying to shrug it off, but deep down she knew Merra was right; things were not going to end well.

"There's not much else I can do; it's that or be homeless. At this point they can't even tell me if my building is being condemned or not and even though I filed my insurance claims as soon as I could, it could take several weeks to get a check. I currently own the outfit I'm wearing and some ugly sweater sets my mom bought me for Christmas last year that I conveniently left at her house. I don't know what I'm going to do Mer; I just want to wake up tomorrow and hope that this is all some nightmare and not my life." Merra could see the tears before they started flowing and once again pulled Katie in for a hug, one she desperately needed. She felt bad for her friend; her life was a downward spiral at the moment, but she had an idea that could hopefully turn things around.

"Okay, so I know you're okay with living with your mom temporarily, but what do you think about moving in here? I have the extra room and if you stay here you're only a train ride away from work where your mom's place is like three train rides." Katie looked at her friend, surprised by the offer, but incredibly relieved at the same time.

"Are you serious? I didn't come here looking for a handout."

"Yes; we've been friends since freshman year of college, over ten years now. This is what friends do for each other." Katie let go of the tears she'd been holding back, but found that for the first time in three days they were happy tears.

"Seriously Mer I don't know what I would do without you. I'm going to find a way to pay you back, I swear I'll make this right some how."

"Oh please, your company will be more then enough. It gets lonely around here and I can only resort to baking every once in a while." Katie smiled biting her lip; she knew deep down Merra loved baking, but she'd tried to avoid it since the bakery closed.

"Speaking of baking, I know it's not your favorite thing to do, but I was hoping you'd be willing to help me throw together a thank you gift for the firemen who saved me."

Merra raised her eyebrows, a mischievious smile spreading across her lips, "I wouldn't make my famous snickerdoodles and chocolate chip scones for just anyone, but you mentioned firemen, so I'm in."


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to Cinnamon Muffin Punk for the PMs of encouragement and to everyone who has stopped by and read the first chapter, it is much appreciated :) Short chapter with this one, but Punk and Colt make their first appearance :D

* * *

Punk spent an extra ten minutes under the hot water hoping it would help work out the stiffness in his elbow, but so far all it did was turn his skin a bright shade of red. He let out a sigh as he wrapped a towel around his waist and resorted to the locker room. He took his time putting on clothes, his mind seemingly all over the place as he couldn't stop wondering how she was doing. Punk shook his head, he never got like this and he couldn't figure out what had come over him, but he couldn't keep his mind off her; he let out a light laugh realizing just how stupid he was, hell he didn't even know her name. His thoughts were temporarily interuppted as his best friend entered the locker room.

"Hey Brooks, there's a chick here to see you."

"Seriously Colton, chick…and you wonder why you can't get laid." Colt thought hard trying to come up with a come back, but fell short as Punk pushed past him. Punk walked down the hall towards the common room where the newest member of Firehouse 51 had made himself comfortable.

"How's the dog doing today? Any word about his owner?"

"Actually, yes there is…" He looked up and stopped dead in his tracks surprised that the very girl he'd been thinking about was in front of him. Punk found himself temporarily speechless, a rare feat, but quickly shook himself out of it sending her a smirk that most ladies couldn't resist.

"This is your dog; I should have known that." Katie looked at the man puzzled, but then caught site of the name Brooks on his nametag and knew then how he'd made the connection.

"Yes, this is Pete and this is for you. Consider it my lame attempt at saying thanks for saving my life."

"First off I wouldn't consider chocolate chip scones lame and secondly it wasn't a big deal; it's all in a days work." Katie noticed the smirk and felt her breath catch in her throat at how strikingly handsome he appeared, but she quickly shook away the feeling. With everything going on in her life, the last thing she needed was a man to complicate it further.

"I understand that you see it as your job, but I was about to die; I could feel it."

Punk nodded rubbing the back of his neck to try to escape the seriousness of the conversation he was engaged in. "While I appreciate how grateful you are, I wasn't the sole person to save you." Katie scrunched her eyebrows together unsure of what he meant.

"That might be the case, but I was only informed of you."

"Well I was the only human, but your buddy here actually dragged you most of the way and wouldn't stop barking until I reached you. You've got a good guy on your hands and while we'll miss him, I think he'll be happy to head home." Katie felt tears coming to her eyes, a sense of guilt washing over her. Pete had saved her life and she was about to repay him by giving him away.

"Oh Pete, I'm going to miss you so much buddy; no one gives kisses like you do." Katie managed to smile through the tears as she took in all the love Pete could give her. Punk didn't want to prod, but as he watched the scene in front of him unravel he couldn't help but be confused.

"Why does it seem like you're saying goodbye?" Katie was suddenly reminded there was someone else in the room and stood up wiping the stray tears from her face.

"Unfortunately for Pete the place I'm moving into doesn't allow dogs, so I have to give him up. You probably think it's petty that I'm upset about this seeing I'm still alive and so many people die in fires, but Pete is my buddy. He's the one that greets me everyday and keeps my feet warm; granted he occasionally drools and snores, but besides that he's the ideal man." Katie let out a light laugh noticing the puzzled look on Punk's face; _way to go Katie, make the hot guy think you're crazy_. Unbeknownst to Katie, Punk was thinking the opposite.

"Would you be against him staying here?"

"Seriously, is that even allowed? I'd hate for him to become a burden or get in the way when there's an emergency."

"Pete has been here the past few days and he's become part of our family; hell even our Chief, Paul, has warmed up to him. It's obviously not permanent, but I'd hate for you to lose your dog when you've already lost so much." Katie found herself smiling uncontrollably wanting to jump into the arms of this perfect stranger.

"That would be amazing, especially since I just work a few blocks from here, so I can visit everyday…or whenever it's okay to visit." Punk let out a small laugh noticing the charm and excitement exhuberating from this beautiful woman; he felt a sense of contentment knowing this was probably the first bit of good news she'd had in days.

"You can visit whenever you want; after all he's your dog, we're just babysitting him."

"Thank you so much Officer Brooks; I feel like I owe you so much more then cookies and scones, but know that they were homemade by one of the best bakers in the city."

"Please call me Punk and baked goods are actually the way to my heart, so there won't be any complaints from me unless you expect me to share."

"They're all yours and seriously thank you again; I don't know how I'll ever repay this favor."

"You could start by telling me your name…" Punk tried to be smooth, but realized he was failing miserably.

"I can't believe I didn't introduce myself, what kind of teacher am I? I'm Katie…Katie Cooper…" Katie extended her hand, but just as Punk was about to reciprocate the gesture, the station alarm went off signaling an emergency call in the surrounding area.

"Duty calls; see you around Katie." Punk ran out of the common room quickly sliding down the fire pole and jumping into his gear cursing the fact that sometimes his job had the worst timing.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 has arrived! :D HUGE thanks and shout out to Lissa003 and Shiki94 for the reviews and to all the others that have either followed or favorited this story...I hope you continue to enjoy because there is a lot to come! :D

* * *

Two weeks later Punk smiled to himself as he threw the rest of his dirty laundry into a duffle. He'd been on duty for a week and a half straight and was anxiously awaiting getting home and sleeping in his own bed; the Halloween fun he had planned with Colt and his sisters was an added bonus. After throwing on his hoodie and slinging his bag over his shouler, Punk was on his way out the door when he heard Paul call for him; he let out a sigh wishing he would've put his Beats on earlier, the perfect excuse for not hearing Paul.

"What's up Chief?" Paul approached him with a smile on his face, his arms crossed over his broad chest.

"Are you heading home?"

"Yes sir; I was off duty an hour ago, looking forward to having a few days off."

"Right…" Paul rubbed a hand over his face and Punk knew immediately he needed something.

"Who do I need to fill in for now?"

"Well Orton just called and his daughter is sick, so he has to go get her and keep her until Sara gets home. The issue with this is he was supposed to do a fire safety program at Harbor House with Colt; I was hoping you could fill in." Punk rolled his eyes; as much as he wanted to say no, his dedication to the job wouldn't let him.

"I'll do it this time, but Randal better know he owes me big!" Paul smacked him on the shoulder directing him back towards the truck that was getting ready to depart.

"That's why you're my main guy, I know I can always count on you; thanks Brooks!" Punk nodded hopping into the passanger seat of the truck as Colt pulled out of the garage.

* * *

Katie smiled as the kids sang aloud, _Hurry Hurry drive the fire truck, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding._ She was happy to be back at work, one of the few things that made her smile besides knowing that Pete was safe and she was getting to spend quality time with her best friend. As the song came to an end, Katie got her students situated on the carpet to give them a brief introduction on fire safety, but was interrupted as two familiar fire fighters entered her classroom.

"Punk…I mean Officer Brooks, Officer Colton…it's so nice to see you again." Katie could feel the blush on her cheeks as Punk sent a smirk in her direction. Rather then continue to get flustered in front of everyone, Katie turned her class over to the two men watching quietly from the back of the room. As much as she knew she should be paying attention to what the two men were telling her students so she could review it with them later, she was too distracted staring at Punk. She took notice of the tattoos covering his arms and hands, the way his shirt hugged his chest and mostly how amazing he was with the kids. Surely this man was married, but upon closer exam she noticed the abscense of a ring on his left hand causing her eyebrow to raise as more romantic thoughts flowed through her head.

"Ahh Miss Cooper…" It took a minute to realize Punk was talking to Katie, but she quickly brought herself back to reality giving him a smile.

"Yes…"

"If it's okay with you, we can take the kids outside and give them a tour of the truck."

"Yeah, that would be great, thanks so much." With that she quickly moved away from him instructing her students to put on their coats before heading outside. With all the thoughts going through her head she needed to stay as far away from Punk as possible before she said or did something stupid.

Katie stood off to the side with a smile on her face seeing how much fun her students were having as Punk and Colt helped them in and out of the truck; she was so preoccupied watching her students that she didn't notice Punk move beside her.

"I was surprised to see you here; I remembered you said you were a teacher, but never thought to ask where."

"This is what my life consists of; I spend the day hanging out with four year olds. A lot of people couldn't handle my job, but I love what I do."

"I can tell by the way you are with them that you love it. Too bad there aren't more teachers like you, it's what this country needs."

"Well thank you for the compliment, I appreciate it. I haven't seen you around the station much, are you avoiding me?" Katie bit her lip giving him a shy smile as he let out a light laugh.

"Avoiding you? No way! I'm always on the look out for you hoping you're bringing more baked goods, but it seems we keep missing each other. Between the string of arsons going on in the area and the paperwork that I've been bogged down with, I haven't left my office at all this week; I'm glad to see you've missed me though."

"Who says I missed you?"

"Well you noticed I wasn't around, I'd call that missing me." Punk shot her that smirk making Katie's cheeks flush to a shade of bright red again.

"Maybe just a little, but don't flatter yourself, we barely know each other."

"Right…how can I change that?" Katie turned to face him unsure if she'd heard him correctly.

"Excuse me?"

"Tomorrow night there's a bunch of us going to a haunted house and I think it would be pretty awesome if you'd come too." Katie wanted so badly to say yes, but something kept holding her back. As much as she wanted to let loose and let her hair down, she barely knew this man and on top of that she had two weeks worth of work to catch up on, next weeks plans to finalize and she had to start prepping for conferences.

"I'd like to, but I can't; there's a lot going on with work…"

"I'm not buying it; besides tomorrow is Friday, you need to take a night to kick back. Work can wait until Saturday. You're not scared are you?" The smirk on Punk's lips grew bigger as Katie searched her head for another excuse.

"Well my friend Merra was really hoping for a girls night…"

"Well my friend Colt needs a date; he tends to get scared with haunted houses and needs someone to hold his hand. Last year he went solo and cramped my style as he kept grabbing my arm; I thought he was going to wet himself at one point." Katie couldn't help but laugh as she looked at Colt; she couldn't imagine this big strong man being afraid of anything even though she wanted to see for herself.

"You're not going to take no for an answer are you?"

"Nope; come on it'll be fun. There's a bunch of people going, so you don't have to worry about being alone with someone you hardly know. Plus haunted houses are the best first dates ever, you get to see what the other person is made of." Katie took a deep breath finding that there were no more excuses.

"Alright then I guess you can count Merra and I in."

"Awesome; stop by the station today after work and we can talk about the details." Punk smiled at her before walking away; Katie quickly shook the fogginess from her head gathering up her students and returning to the classroom.

* * *

"You agreed to what?" Katie rolled her eyes as she took another sip of water. She'd just told Merra about their Friday night plans and despite what she originally thought, her best friend was taking it worse then she was.

"Merra it's not that big of a deal! It's a night out with two nice, attractive men; I did mention Colt was a fire fighter right?" She sent a wink in her friends direction, but Merra was still furious with her keeping her arms crossed as a sign of her stubbornness. "It'll be fun and God knows we both need a little fun in our lives. When is the last time you spent a carefree night out?"

"I don't know what you're talking about; my social calendar is constantly full."

"Dinner and trivia with your uncle doesn't qualify as a night out with a man, sorry to break it to you." Merra let out a sigh realizing her friend was right. Since the demise of her last relationship, she'd only stuck a toe in the dating pool too afraid to dive in head first and get hurt again.

"Alright fine I'll do the double date thing this one time, but you owe me big!"

"Will a pint of Ben & Jerry's make it even?"

"Make it two pints and not only will we be even, but I'll make this Colt guy fall for me. It'll show everyone just how much of a sucker he is."

* * *

Next chapter: Katie, Punk, Merra and Colt go on their date...one couple hits it off, the other not so much...


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry for the delay guys, but with grad school starting last Monday and a new school year starting Wednesday life has been busy...throw in a home remodel and my life is insane! However I finally have some down time tonight, so I figured a post is a must! :) Thanks again for the continued support with reviews and favorites, I really appreciate the feedback! Halloween themed date is a go, enjoy!

* * *

Katie swallowed noticing the uncomfortable dryness in her throat. When Punk had said haunted house, she figured it would be like the ones that her and her friends laughed at in junior high, but this particular one felt like a scene out of _House of 1000 Corpses_. She closed her eyes for a minute taking a deep breath hoping she could keep it together, but upon opening them again she came face to face with a Captain Spaulding look alike and screamed her head off quickly burying her face in Punk's chest. Her heart was beating fast and pumping hard against her rib cage as she tried to calm her hysterics taking a minute to breathe taking in Punk's smell and finding it surprisingly calming; his hand rubbing her back helped too.

"Clowns a weakness for you?" She looked up noticing the slight smirk on his face and couldn't help but laugh realizing just how ridiculous she'd just acted.

"Not usually, but he was in my bubble; I like my personal space."

"That's interesting that you say that seeing you're allowing me to share your personal space right now. It makes me feel special…"

"Well don't flatter yourself, it was cling to you or punch the clown and I didn't think the latter was a very good idea." Punk raised an eyebrow unsure of what to think of Katie; one minute she seemed like she was into him and the next it was one sarcastic remark after another. While this would bother him with most women, there was something about Katie that left Punk guessing and he liked it.

* * *

As the night wound down, Katie found herself having a good time. For once she didn't regret not staying home on a Friday night to work on lesson plans and portfolios; she enjoyed the company of the people she was around though it was slowly becoming awkward.

Despite Merra's concerns about going on a blind date, she'd hit it off with Colt the two of them spending most of the night laughing and holding hands before deciding to engage in an innocent make out session on the way home. Katie and Punk sat quietly in the front of the car as their best friends became better aquainted in the back; awkward didn't even begin to describe the situation.

After a short twenty minute drive, Punk stopped in front of Merra's house getting out to open Katie's door and walk her up the short path to the front door leaving Colt and Merra to say goodbye in private. Katie dug through her bag before pulling out her keys standing in silence across from Punk feeling great relief when he finally spoke.

"So, I had a nice time and clearly Colt did too." The two shared a laugh glancing back at the car where their friends remained innocently making out in the back seat.

"I had a nice time too; thanks for talking me into going."

"Any time; would you be up for doing this another time? Well not this exactly, but maybe dinner, a movie, whatever you want." Katie wanted to accept, but deep down she was conflicted.

"Even though I had a great time tonight, I don't think it's a good idea to date right now. I just have a lot on my plate, but honestly it's not you, it's me; you're amazing and any girl would be lucky to date you. I hope we can be friends though and it's okay to still speak to each other when I see you at the station." Punk managed to give her a small smile as if he were shrugging off everything she'd said, but deep down his confidence sank. Granted the date wasn't exactly what he thought it would be, but he never thought she'd shoot him down nonetheless with _that_ line.

"I totally get it, I'm super busy the next couple of weeks anyway, so it's cool. But, ahh, thanks again for a great night and I'll see you around." Punk made to get away as fast as possible, but Katie was quick to lean in and plant a kiss on his cheek sending a final dagger through his already weak heart. He managed to send her a smirk as he headed back to the car relieved that Colt had finally decided it was time to say goodnight to Merra. He'd been shut down, hard, and all he wanted was a pint of ice cream and some Walking Dead re-runs.

It only took ten agonizing minutes for Colt to make it back to the car wearing a big smile on his face. "So, Merra is amazing; I managed to score her number and a date for tomorrow. How'd you do?"

Punk glared at his friend; as much as he wanted to congratulate him, he was beyond irritated and just couldn't do it. "I got the _it's not you, it's me_ line. She claims she's too busy to date right now, but frankly I think she just let me down easy. It's whatever, plenty of fish in the sea and I can hook another one." Colt could see through Punk's tough guy front giving him a simple slap on the shoulder as Punk put the car in drive. It was clear that Punk had thought things would go in a different direction, but as he'd learned many times before not everything goes as planned.

* * *

Merra came into the house looking like she was on cloud nine as she hummed a Queen song to herself. Katie rolled her eyes not sure if she was ready to be surrounded by all the love sick feelings that usually followed the humming of Queen, but wanted to get the conversation over with.

"So, I take it things with Colt went well?" Merra smiled as she sat on the couch beside her.

"He's amazing! I'm sorry I doubted your little date, it's seriously one of the better ideas you've ever had. The haunted house was awesome, Colt's so funny, romantic and an amazing kisser. We have a date tomorrow night and even though he just left I already can't wait to see him again."

"That's great; I'm happy for you." Katie gave her a small smile, one she hoped Merra would buy, but Merra knew her too well.

"Did the night not go so well with Punk?" Katie shook her head. "What went wrong? You guys seemed to be hitting it off with each other; I don't understand."

"It's just not the right time for me to be in a relationship."

"Seriously Katie, don't start that shit again!"

"What? I'm not starting anything! It's true; I'm very preoccupied with work and trying to get back on my feet after the fire, I don't have time to add a man into the mix." Merra shook her head getting an eye roll from Katie.

"You can roll your eyes all you want, but you know you're making a mistake and you can say it's because of work, but you're letting your past haunt you again." Katie let out a sigh tired of everyone thinking they knew what she was thinking or why she made the decisions she made. Her life was too overwhelming for a guy right now, nonetheless one that seemed so demanding.

"Merra I'd love to have the why conversation with you, but it's late and I'm exhausted, so good night. If I'm not around tomorrow don't take it personally, I've got a lot of errands to run and I'll probably spend the afternoon at school getting things ready for next week." Without allowing her friend to say another word, Katie started up the stairs and down the hall to her room, but she couldn't sleep. She kept thinking about the night she'd spent with Punk, Merra's words echoing in her head; maybe she was scared and maybe she was thinking about past situations too much. Regardless what she was or wasn't thinking, Katie knew dating was out of the picture; her life was in disarray and she was desperate to spend all of her spare time piecing it back together.

* * *

So Colt and Merra hit it off and poor Punk got shot down :/ Try not to hate on Katie just yet, it's still early on...thanks for reading! :D


	5. Chapter 5

Once again fell off the grid I know, but this semester is kicking my butt :( It's like so close to being done, yet still so far...any way here is an update for anyone that still checks this out :D

* * *

Merra spent over two hours preparing for her date, something that was out of the norm for her. She hadn't seen Katie all day, but it hadn't phased her; she'd moved their disagreement to the back burner deciding to take the night to spend getting to know Colt and having a good time, a long over due good time.

She was only slightly nervous as she walked down the street to the quaint diner she'd agreed to meet Colt at. Merra entered the door hearing the bell ring and didn't have to look far to find Colt sitting in a corner booth looking out the window. A smile graced her lips as she started towards him noticing that he looked exceptionally handsome in a fitted grey t-shirt that hugged his chest and biceps.

Colt looked up upon hearing the bell ding and his mouth instantly went dry taking in the beauty before him. Her long strawberry blonde hair was straightened to perfection and laying over her shoulders; he looked further down taking in the short white dress that showcased her best features hugging her curves and showing off her smooth legs. Trying to do the gentlemanly thing, he quickly rose to his feet when she approached; unfortunately his quick act ended with his Pepsi splattering her dress.

"Oh shit, I am so sorry Merra…christ I'm such a clutz…" While most women would have been infuriated to have a new dress ruined on a first date, Merra couldn't help but to laugh. She saw that Colt was truly sorry about the ordeal as he quickly grabbed a handful of napkins trying to dab at the spot on her leg. Merra politely took his hand moving it away from the spot.

"Colt it's not a big deal; honestly I wasn't sure I really liked this dress anyway, but it was on the sale rack."

"I'll pay for it to be dry cleaned or for you to get a new one." She couldn't help but smile at how sweet and charming he was, almost like he was too good to be true.

"Honestly that's not necessary." Colt nodded putting the napkins back assuming he'd struck out before even getting a chance to show what he was made of, but she surprised him by taking his hand.

"If you're not super hungry, I think I know something else we can do to get to know each other that involves more then talking."

"Well we made out for most of the night last night, so you've got me curious as to what you're thinking because I think I know your mouth pretty well." Colt wiggled his eyebrows getting a laugh from Merra in return.

"I saw a photo booth a few blocks away and I thought it would be fun to see how many goofy poses we can come up with; consider it a challenge of sorts."

"Alright, you're on; can we grab some coffee and danishes to go though? They're really good here."

"I guarantee my cherry cheese danish is way better. If you'd like I can teach you how to make it, share my recipe secrets." Merra sent him a flirty wink taking notice of the blush that appeared on his cheeks.

"Please lead the way…"

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Katie unloaded the back of her car that was jam packed with shopping bags. After the stressful work week and her night out with Punk that she was slowly starting to regret the ending of, she had taken it upon herself to spend some of her hard earned money on new clothes. She was looking forward to showing them off to Merra in hopes of getting her opinion, especially with some of the picks that were unlike her normal style. Walking into the house, she kicked the door shut yelling for her best friend.

"Mer, are you home?"

"Yeah, I'm in the kitchen." Katie dropped her bags and walked into the kitchen quickly realizing she was interrupting seeing Colt standing behind Merra, the two of them rolling out dough.

"Oh sorry I forgot you had a date…"

"You're fine Katie, I'm just giving Colt some baking tips. So far he's learned how to make the perfect cupcake and now we're working on making my famous cherry cheese danish. Do you want to help?" Katie gave her best friend a tight lipped smile noticing how happy both Colt and Merra were; she couldn't help but kick herself realizing she could've been having that much fun with Punk if she'd just allowed it to happen.

"You two have fun; I have some work to finish up, but I'll be upstairs if you need anything."

"Later Katie…"

"Good night Colt…" Katie hurried out of the kitchen quickly grabbing her bags and retreating to her bedroom. Both Colt and Merra had noticed how she'd acted, but Merra pushed it aside not wanting to ruin the evening while Colt let his curiousity get the better of him.

"So looking at Katie, she seems like the perfect girl, so what's her deal?"

"What do you mean?" Merra put down the rolling pin turning to face Colt, prepared to defend her best friend if it came to that.

"I don't mean there's anything bad about her, but I don't understand; last night her and Punk seemed to have this great time, but he told me he asked her out and she shut him down hard."

"Her life is in disarray right now; she works almost 80 hours a week, 40 in and 40 out of the classroom, then this whole fire happens and she loses everything. Plus you have to think about Pete; granted I think it's kind of silly for a woman to be that dependent upon an animal for companionship, but I know it hurts her that he's not where she is."

"I get all of that, but it just seems like there's something more with her…" Merra turned away from him going back to preparing the danish dough. Colt took notice of this walking around the kitchen island and staring her down. "There is more of a back story with her isn't there? Was she burned by another guy? If that's the case she needs to get over it; we've all be burned and at some point you have to move on."

"You know nothing about Katie's life, so why don't you just back off and drop it! Obviously she has her reasons for not wanting to date right now and only she needs to know what they are." Colt held up his hands in defense hoping his prying hadn't ruined their first date.

"Merra, I'm sorry, I honestly didn't mean to upset you, but I just worry about Punk like I'm sure you worry about Katie. He deserves someone amazing, especially now that I've found someone that is beyond amazing." Merra took a deep breath unable to hold back a smile; even though his prying had put her on the defense, she realized he was coming from a good place.

"I understand and you're right, I do worry about Katie. Even though she tries to put on a brave face, she's incredibly vulnerable right now with everything that's happened. Maybe if we give her a few more weeks, then we can try a double date with her and Punk again because I think they're good together."

"Do I sense a plan coming together?" Merra shrugged her shoulders giving Colt a not so innocent smirk.

"We'll see how things play out, but right now we need to get this danish finished. First I need to wipe the flour off your face."

"There's flour on my face; where?" Colt looked at his distorted reflection in the toaster unable to see any flour.

"Right there…" Merra wiped at his cheek with her flour caked hand getting a laugh out of the surprised expression on Colt's face.

"You just made a big mistake; you're so in for it now." The two began running around the kitchen throwing flour and laughing at each other until Merra threw up her hands to surrender.

"I give up, you win…" Colt smiled resting his forehead against hers before leaving a sweet kiss on Merra's lips.

"Now I can say I really won." Merra smiled at his sweet words kissing him again.

* * *

Katie sat up in her room listening to all the laughter from downstairs and let out a sigh as she swiped away the stray tear from her cheek. She couldn't handle everyone around her being so happy while she was miserable unsure of what steps to take to end the funk she was stuck in. She thought for sure a full closet would help, but the new wardrobe brought her short term bliss. Laying in bed, Katie reached for her book hoping it would get her mind off of her feelings, but quickly realized _Silver Linings Playbook_ was the last thing she needed. Turing on her ipod, she laid back on her bed trying to relax and forget the feeling of glum over taking her life, but as love song after love song played, she found herself growing more frustrated.

More tears started to fall as she tried to think of the last time she hadn't felt like this and the answer always came back to him, Punk seemed to be the only guy that could put a smile on her face after so many shattered her heart. Katie shook her head; that ship had sailed with her harsh rejection and even if it hadn't she knew she wouldn't be able to handle a relationship with him. She'd spend endless nights worrying about him; where he was, was he in trouble, had he been injured on the job? Katie buried her face in her pillow letting out a scream of frustration; as long as the memory of her father's last day loomed, she'd never find true happiness.

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Oh, poor Katie...but technically it's her fault...don't feel too bad just yet, this story is far from over!


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey, I'm back, back again! I finally finished up my masters program in May and for the first time in a long time I have a summer vacation! Even though I have a very LONG list of things I have neglected and planned on taking care of as my summer break kicks off, writing was bumped to the top of the list. I have been slacking heavily with updating and I'm not sure anyone even bothers reading my stories anymore, but for piece of mind and because I want to share my amateur creative writing skills, I've decided to publish my stuff online any way...I hope you enjoy because I have a back stock of chapters that I am working on uploading and releasing!**

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A month had gone by and Katie had made goals and promises to herself that were slowly helping her get past the rough patch she was stuck in. She'd started with working less and making more time for herself, deciding to start working daily runs back into her routine. Running always helped her destress and it was nice to have a daily dose of exercise. Katie had also started being more open with both her mom and Merra; they were amazing women and the exact support system she needed. Both women made her realize that her feelings were normal and in time they'd dissipate and she'd feel normal again. Katie just hoped that they were right and she'd feel better sooner rather then later. It also helped that she'd begun visiting the fire house when she knew Punk wouldn't be around; her life was hard enough, she couldn't take the guilt she felt every time she saw him.

Katie was prepping for the next day and packing her bag getting ready to head home and have dinner with Merra and Colt. It was something they'd started every Wednesday and though she felt like the third wheel, Merra assured her she wasn't. She liked getting to know Colt better and could clearly see the two were quickly falling hard for each other. In the process of packing her briefcase, there was a knock on her classroom door and she looked up to see one of her student's fathers. She gave him a small smile waving for him to come in curious what he needed seeing it was pushing 5PM.

"Good afternoon Mr. Layfield, what brings you in at this time?"

"Well I was hoping to catch you before you left, I want to talk about Alec. I'm concerned about his progress. He seemed to be doing so well, but now that his mom and I have separated, he's acting out a lot."

"I understand your concern, but it is normal for children to act out when something big like this happens. As far as Alec's behavior in school I haven't noticed anything major. He's a very bright boy and he's progressing nicely gradually coming out of his shell and making friends."

"I see, but I'm just wondering if we could set up a conference to discuss Alec's behavior. I'd like to hear more about how he's doing in school and maybe you can help me with his behavior at home." Katie nodded giving him a smile even though she was annoyed on the inside; she was his teacher not a therapist. However, she couldn't say no because after all maybe she could help some how.

"I think that can be arranged; what time is best for you?"

"Well I usually work late during the week, but Friday my last appointment is at 5. Could you possibly meet me at Italiano around 6:30?" Katie raised her eyebrows finding it a little odd to have a conference with a student's father at an expensive Italian restaurant during the dinner rush, but she'd had lunch conferences with working mothers, so she couldn't say yes to one and not the other.

"Umm, that works for me Mr. Layfield…"

"Please call me John…" He sent her a wink before turning back to the door. "Thanks for your time and I look forward to seeing you Friday." Katie nodded as the door closed behind him and she couldn't help but wonder if she'd agreed to a conference or something else.

Punk put on a button up shirt leaving it untucked with his dark jeans and sneakers. He quickly grabbed a sweatshirt and his pager before running out the door to head to Italiano to celebrate Cassie's 21st birthday. He'd had a rough couple of weeks at work, but had promised his kid sister he'd be present for her birthday dinner. Punk had been seeing less of his family as of late as his job became more demanding and he hated missing out, but tonight was the start of a new beginning for him. He'd talked to Paul about lessening his workload claiming he needed a break before he became burnt out; Paul hated the idea of not having Punk around all the time, but he understood that the young man needed a break. As a father of three, he had missed out on too much and he hated the idea that all the young guys in his company would have to deal with the same.

Punk entered the restaurant taking a minute to catch his breath; he was ten minutes late and just hoped he hadn't missed anything.

"Excuse me, can you direct me to the party room?" The waitress smiled at him before giving him verbal direction, but Punk didn't hear what she'd said as he caught site of Katie sitting with a man. For some reason, one he wasn't sure about, it stung; he hadn't seen her in over a month, but seeing her now hit him hard. He quickly shook it off as he heard Chez yell for him giving the waitress a polite smile before heading in the direction of the party room. Punk thought maybe he was looking too much into it, maybe she was just out with an old friend, but then again he realized it didn't really matter because regardless if Katie was serious with the mystery man or not, she wasn't with him.

Katie arrived at Italiano a few minutes before expected and took a seat ready to discuss the progress of one of her students. Deep down she regretted saying yes to this particular conference because after a long week all she wanted to do was take a hot bubble bath and curl up in bed with her book; that was out of the question though as John made his way to the table.

"Miss Cooper…"

"Please call me Katie…" She gave him a polite smile as he sat down across from her, the waitress immediately arriving to take their order.

Before Katie had the chance to look over the menu, she found John ordering for her. "We'll have the cesar salad to start, the spinach ravioli for the main course and double fudge chocolate cake for dessert." Katie tried to keep an open mind, but deep down she was annoyed. This guy didn't know a thing about her nonetheless what she did and didn't eat and he had taken it upon himself to order her meal from start to finish. She bit her tongue trying to keep her smile in tact.

"So, you wanted to talk about Alec…"

"Oh we can talk about him later. Let's try to enjoy the evening right now."

"Excuse me?" Katie was taken back as he rested his hand on hers. "You asked for a conference regarding your son, that's what I agreed to. I don't know what you were thinking this was for, but I'd like to keep it professional."

"I understand where you're coming from, but I was just thinking I'm a single man, you're a single woman…Alec loves you, so why don't we see where this goes." Katie shook her head grabbing her purse and standing up to leave.

"It's a joy to have your son in my class, but I'd appreciate if from here on out we keep this relationship professional." Without another word Katie walked out of the restaurant not taking a minute to look back.

A week after the conference mishap, Katie was set on moving forward. Granted she was sure it would be awkward any time she encountered Mr. Layfield, but she could handle it. Running through Wicker Park, she felt free as the cold air blew giving her a slight chill despite the multiple layers she was wearing. After running nearly two miles, she stopped at a bench to cool down and hydrate. In her own little world, listening to Katy Perry blast through her ear buds as she stretched, she was surprised to see a familiar face running towards her. Despite making her best attempts to avoid Punk in the last month, she had come to realize how childish she was; after all it was her idea to remain friends and she'd been the one ignoring the stipulation.

Katie threw away her water bottle and took off her ear buds planning on making an attempt to get his attention, but to her surprise he ran right by her without even a second glance. She was slightly puzzled, but wasn't about to give up as she started running after him quickly catching up with little effort. Katie noticed Punk had his headphones on deciding to run in front of him cutting him off; to her surprise all that resulted in was Katie being knocked to the ground as he ran into her. Punk immediately felt bad as he removed his headphones reaching out a hand to help Katie up.

"What the hell was that?" Katie ignored his hand standing up and dusting herself off. Punk put his hands on his hips giving her a smirk to show his annoyance.

"You're asking me what the hell that was; I think I should be asking you that! Cutting off people when they're running is a terrible idea; you could've gotten seriously hurt." Katie rolled her eyes not wanting to admit that he had a point, but she didn't know how else to get his attention.

"I'm sorry I cut you off, but I saw you running and I was pretty sure you saw me, but then you just kept going. Are you trying to avoid me for some reason? I know it's been a while since we talked, but I didn't expect you to ignore me like that." Katie was taken back as Punk started to laugh shaking his head.

"You're accusing me of avoiding you, is this for real?" Katie scrunched her eyebrows together unsure of what he was referring to, but before she could ask, he continued on his rant letting out his recent frustrations. "You haven't made an attempt to talk to me in a month despite throwing in the cute little _let's still be friends_ comment the last time we talked. Honestly though that's not what's really bothering me about you. The two of us went out, we had an amazing time and when I asked you for a second date you shot me down saying it wasn't the right time for you to date right now or some bullshit line like that, but then I see you out looking quite cozy with another guy. I just need to know was the issue with me, or are you just too stuck up to date a regular guy?"

Katie was confused, but more angry then anything. "You know what I will admit that I've been going to the station when you're not around because I didn't want to see you, it just made me feel guilty. You can claim that you weren't bothered by me shooting you down, but it was obvious it was unexpected and you were hurt. I'm sorry that you didn't get the answer you wanted, but Christ I didn't think you'd take it to heart like this. As far as me dating someone else, I don't know what you're referring to."

"Are you fucking with me right now; you really don't know what I'm referring to? You don't know who John Bradshaw Layfield is?"

"Oh that…"

"He's the chief of police and I saw you out with him last Friday at Italiano. Before you jump the gun no I wasn't stalking you, I happened to be there for my kid sisters 21st birthday. I don't know why I let it get under my skin, but it did. I thought we had some physics going on…"

"I think you mean chemistry, and…"

"Whatever it is, I thought we had it and you shot me down hard. I'm over it though and I hope you're happy with Mr. Layfield." Punk moved to run around her, but Katie put up a hand keeping him in place.

"Are you done?" Punk opened his mouth to speak, but Katie interrupted him giving him a taste of his own medicine. "I do know who Mr. Layfield is and yes I was at Italiano with him, but not for a date. His son Alec is in my class and he came to me talking about how he was concerned about his son because he and his wife recently separated. We decided to have a conference and granted I thought it was a bit odd to meet a student's father at an expensive restaurant on a Friday evening, but I went against my better judgment. It turns out Mr. Layfield is a creep and was more interested in pursuing his son's teacher rather then caring about his son's progress."

Punk had no words as he looked at Katie, her arms crossed and a pissed off look on her face. He felt like a fool, but knew he had to make an attempt to fix things. "Katie I apologize…it was dick for me to jump to conclusions, but seeing you out with him made me feel…" Punk looked away from her having a hard time finding the right words, but before he could think it through any more, he just blurted it out, "It made me feel like I'd been kicked in the nuts and frankly as a man that's not a good feeling."

Katie tried her best to hold back a laugh, but the way he'd described his feelings was surprising, and in her line of work few things surprised her. Within thirty seconds Katie was doubled over in laughter, but then took notice of the less then amused look on Punk's face. She quickly tried to compose herself feeling she owed him an apology for not being sympathetic. "I'm sorry Punk; I shouldn't have laughed at that."

"No you shouldn't have; a guy getting kicked in the nuts is no laughing matter!" Katie covered her mouth with her hand in an attempt to hide the smile that wouldn't go away.

"I really am sorry and I'd like to make it up to you. What can I do to make things better with us so that we can be friends again?" Punk rubbed the back of his neck taking a minute to think. He knew this was his one chance to make a good impression with her and maybe change her mind about putting him in the friend zone.

"I think you should hang out with me for an entire day."

Katie was intrigued by his odd offer, but accepted it. "Okay, just tell me when and what we're doing."

"Well that's the thing; I'm thinking a little bit of everything. Perhaps catch a Blackhawks game, take Pete for a run, get some takeout, have a horror marathon…pretty much whatever I want to do."

"Alright fine, sounds easy enough and if it'll make you forgive me then I'm in." Punk smirked thinking she had no idea just what she was getting herself into.

As silly as she felt, Katie couldn't wipe the smile off of her face. The idea of spending the day with Punk was exciting to her for some reason though she wasn't sure why; it wasn't a date, odds were the two of them would end up having a boys night watching sports, horror movies and doing all the other stuff guys do. Despite that thought, she was still looking forward to it.

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 **Please take a minute and review...I love the feedback! :D**


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